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Resources I recommend to families
Everything on this page is something I recommend to families regularly, and much of it more than once a month.
Understanding learning differences
- How to ADHDJessica McCabe’s ADHD toolbox. Start with her TEDx talk, then the channel.
- Understood.orgResearch-based information on learning differences, with practical strategies for parents.
- CHADDChildren and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, the leading US nonprofit in this space.
- ADDitudeSymptom tests, treatment information, school and organization strategies and parent webinars.
- International Dyslexia AssociationA wealth of information covering every aspect of dyslexia.
Books I recommend most
- Anything by Peg DawsonPeg Dawson and Richard Guare have written the books this whole field rests on, including Smart but Scattered, The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success and Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents. Their author page at Guilford lists them all.
- Smart but Scattered KidsDawson and Guare’s own site, with the books, parent resources and background on the executive skills approach. If you read one thing, start here.
- The Self-Driven ChildWilliam Stixrud and Ned Johnson, on giving children more control over their own lives.
- The Gift of FailureJessica Lahey, on how the best parents learn to let go.
- How to Raise an AdultJulie Lythcott-Haims, on breaking free of the overparenting trap.
- Taking Charge of ADHDRussell Barkley’s authoritative guide for parents, now in its fourth edition.
- Atomic HabitsJames Clear. Not written for students, but the mechanics of habit formation transfer directly.
- Simplicity ParentingKim John Payne and Lisa Ross, on the power of less.
- MindsetCarol Dweck on the psychology of success.
- Executive Function Skills in the ClassroomLaurie Faith, Carol-Anne Bush and Peg Dawson. If this book reached more teachers, fewer parents would need to hire a coach.
- Anything by Dr. Lisa DamourI recommend all of her books for parents of teenagers.
- Dr. Lisa Damour’s bookmarksFree resources she shares. They offer quick, helpful reminders and tips on a variety of topics related to parenting and teen development.
- 10 Middle-Grade Books with ADHD CharactersA reading list from ADDitude for younger readers who would like to see themselves in a story.
TED talks worth watching
- How your brain’s executive function works, and how to improve itSabine Doebel. The clearest short explanation of executive function I have found.
- Failing at Normal: An ADHD Success StoryJessica McCabe, TEDxBratislava. Show this one to your teenager.
- Inside the Mind of a Master ProcrastinatorTim Urban. Funny, and closer to the truth about task initiation than most of the literature.
- The power of believing that you can improveCarol Dweck on growth mindset.
- Grit: The Power of Passion and PerseveranceAngela Lee Duckworth.
- Why the future will be differently wiredDeborah Reber, TEDxAmsterdam. For parents raising differently wired children.
- ADHD in Girls and WomenMartha Barnard-Rae, TEDxKinjarling. Often the one that makes something click for mothers as well as daughters.
- Do schools kill creativity?Sir Ken Robinson. Still the best argument I know that the problem is very often the fit and not the child.
Free downloads
Executive Skills Questionnaires
These questionnaires come from the work of Peg Dawson and Richard Guare, whose executive skills approach underpins a great deal of what I do. The first two are reproduced from Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents, Third Edition (Copyright © 2018 The Guilford Press) and the adult version is from The Smart but Scattered Guide to Success (Copyright © 2016 The Guilford Press).
They give a profile of where the strengths and the gaps actually sit. I send the relevant one to every student before our first session, and going through it together in that session is where we always start.
- Executive Skills Questionnaire for Middle and High School Students PDF
- Executive Skills Questionnaire for Parents and Teachers PDF
- Executive Skills Questionnaire for Adults PDF
Executive Skills Coaching: What Parents Should Know. A three-page explainer written for parents by Peg Dawson, co-author of Coaching Students with Executive Skills Deficits. It is the clearest short account I know of what coaching is and how it differs from tutoring.
No email required, and nothing is added to a mailing list.Parent coaching, for younger children
Below grade 6 the systems still belong to the household more than to the student, so parent coaching usually does more good than student coaching would. These are the programs I recommend.
- ImpactParentsBehavior and executive function management training for parents.
- PTS CoachingFounded by Cindy Goldrich, specializing in ADHD parent coaching.
- Hill Learning Center, Community Education SeriesHaving previously worked at Hill, I highly recommend their free webinars. They offer incredible insights for local families navigating learning and attention differences, and past sessions are on their YouTube playlist.
Screening and self-assessment
- Executive Function Symptoms by AgeUnderstood.org’s breakdown of what executive function difficulties look like at each stage.
- How Do I Know if My Child Has Executive Function Issues?The Child Mind Institute’s plain-language explainer.
North Carolina resources
- NC DPI, Exceptional ChildrenState education policy, dispute resolution procedures and disability resources.
Read through all of this and still not sure?
The introductory call is thirty minutes, it is free and it is the fastest way to find out whether coaching is the right support for your child.
no obligation, and nothing is booked on the call itself
Tell me a little about what has been happening and I will come back to you to arrange a time.